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Fall into the Gap: VOC Moon

By Dana Gerhardt

A good office witch or urban sorcerer will know about Moon phases.  And will be aware of the void-of-course Moon, which occurs every few days for a number of hours.  You won’t know when it’s void by scanning the skies for a runaway Moon.  It’s something an astrologer sees in a chart or anyone can find in a good Moon calendar.  But if you hear “Woe!  All is lost when the Moon is void!” cover your ears.  To borrow from the Harry Potter world, you’re in the presence of a Muggle who knows nothing about real magic.

That’s what happens when sorcery books fall into the wrong hands.  True wizarding loses its nuance and becomes superstition.  Consider the following:  “During a void of course Moon don’t initiate anything, buy anything, sign anything, contact anyone important — nothing will come of it.  Be wary of making decisions.  Your judgment is faulty; any information you get will be wrong.  Whatever you do will have to be done again.”

Scary, huh.  At best you’re counseled to spend these hours adrift.  Become a couch potato.  Or if you must take action, clean your house.  It’s sure to get dirty again.

A void is an opening, a gap, an empty space.  It suggests a state of being without.  Astrologically, the Moon is void when she’s without connections (or “aspects”) to the other planets.  These gaps occur before the Moon changes sign, and can last from a few minutes, to a few hours, to a couple of days, depending on the other planets’ positions.  The logic of divination is a symbolic one.  Its gift of sight draws from the moment you choose to ask about your fate.  If your query comes when the Moon is void, it’s presumed you likewise lack connections.  Without outer assistance, your project is likely to fail.

But in Muggle hands, symbol gets confused with literal cause and context is lost.  Everyone is thrown onto the same celestial assembly line–invisibly passing through good and bad times at once. By this logic, every one of a hundred thousand letters mailed during a void-of-course Moon will fly from the postman’s hands and disappear under the sewer grate.  All contracts signed, everything bought will be bad.  A true wizard can only shake her head!

There is another way to think of the void-of-course Moon.  Pretend you’re Harry Potter in the last chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  You’ve gone through the trap door, escaped the tendrils of the Devil’s Snare, singled out the right winged-key from the hundred wrong ones.  You’re alone now, your buddies out of reach, behind the purple flame.  Everyone thinks you’re a great wizard but you’re not so sure…  yet it’s up to you to retrieve the Sorcerer’s Stone before it falls into the wrong hands.  As instructed, you take a drink from the little rounded bottle – it tastes like ice – you walk forward, not knowing what’s on the other side.

If you’ve read the book, you already know it works out in the end.  But not before Harry enters a horrible gap in his luck.  He finds himself standing before a powerful enemy, defenseless and alone.  You could say he picked the wrong time to drink the potion—the wrong Moon.  But in this awful void some interesting things happen.  His enemy feels safe enough to spill his secrets; many of the book-long mysteries are finally revealed.  And with no idea whether he will make it or not, Harry dives into action.  He discovers his own greatness along the way.

Good Moons and bad are only what we make of them.  Wise sorcery takes note of the moment and all that’s gone before, giving itself more than one option under any star.  Harry’s triumph suggests what any good wizard will know:  Most fates depend on your own readiness.  And to be disconnected is not always bad.  The void-of-course moontime can be potent for personal heroism and creative breakthroughs. You can cut loose from prevailing trends, sneaking past the cultural gates.  Especially if things don’t work out as planned, study why.  You could be within hearing distance of brilliant answers to old mysteries.

And sometimes (often, in fact) the void of course Moon won’t mean anything at all.  If your life is marching along and you stand at no brinks, there may be little momentum for wizarding.  If you’d like an excuse to drift and dream, go for it.  Being Moon paranoid is silly.  But stepping out of the action at times can be a good thing.  Check it out.  If you’re up for real magic, write your own truth on top of the old superstitions.

My favorite calendar for VOC Moons is Jim Maynard’s Celestial Guides. You can also find out this information online.

© 2000 Dana Gerhardt
All rights reserved


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The Moon is in its
Disseminating Phase

in the
Sign of Taurus


Today's Lunar Aspects (Greenwich Mean Time)
(subtract: PST -8 hours, PDT -7 hours, EST -5 hours, EDT -4 hours)

  • Moon trine Sun, 10:50am  Aug 17 2022
  • Moon square Venus, 3:54pm  Aug 17 2022

Venus is currently
The Morning Star

in the sign of Leo


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© 2000 - 2022 Mooncircles.com

Astrologers use a variety of house systems, or methods of dividing up the sky into twelve sections. I use the Porphyry house system; another popular house system is Placidus (this is the default on https://astro.com). If the chart I send you looks different from what you are used to seeing, then likely a system other than Porphyry was used. Whole signs, Equal House, Regiomantus, and Campanus are examples of other systems. If you find all of this confusing, do not worry. It is likely not critical to your report.

m  Conjunction:  Like peas in a pod, planets in conjunction tend to come from the same place. They act together, but it’s also hard to tell them apart. This aspect can increase talent, focus, and intensity (“two are better than one”). Or one planet can disappear as the other dominates. Their connection feels so natural, it’s easy to think everyone blends these planetary energies just as you do—but mostly, they don’t!.

p  Sextile:  Planets in sextile are compatible, though without any fireworks. This aspect doesn’t demand your attention. It quietly presents an opportunity. You can join these archetypal forces. Donna Cunningham has called this the “Oh, that!” aspect, because that’s generally what her clients say when she describes their benefits.  To get the most from sextiles you need to actively work them.

q  Square:  Squares are wild and wonderful—but difficult too. The power struggle between these planets was likely defined in your youth, when they were impossibly challenging. People are usually aware of their squares. They force the issues that make you to grow. And that’s their gift. They ensure you learn your lessons. When you rise to the occasion, they bless you with energy, action, and success.

r  Trine:  Michael Munkasey has dubbed this the “goddess aspect” because it’s so lovely. Identifying talents you may have perfected in a previous life, trines can bring you joy. There’s a nice flow of energy between planets in trine. They support and reinforce each another. But without any struggle, you might take them for granted—neither using nor developing their gifts. An unattended trine can sometimes trick you into negative behaviors.

t  Inconjunct/Quincunx:  Your quincunx planets are innately incompatible. Bringing them into harmonious expression requires constant adjustments. This can be stressful, also motivating. You’ve got to keep changing your process, opinions or attitude—which promotes highly creative solutions.

u  Opposition:  They say opposites attract—and planets in opposition are never far from each other, though they’re constantly bickering. You may be triggered into awareness of this aspect by other people who seem to resist or undermine you.  An opposition can make you feel uncertain, insecure, or discontent, until you can accept and see yourself in both energies. Typically people find it easier to identify with one side and project the other onto unsuspecting others in the outer world.

First House: Personality, physical body, beginnings. Includes the Ascendant and rules physical appearance, the image you project to others, your general outlook on life, how you start things; may describe your role in your family system, often guides your first impression of immediate environment.

Second House: Money and personal finances, sense of self-worth and basic values, personal possessions, talents.

Third House: Communication, thoughts, language skills like writing and speaking, early schooling, siblings and neighbors, short trips, coming and going around town.

Fourth House: Your home, psychological foundations and roots, family, parents, domestic life, instinctive behavior, ancestry, your connection with the past, sense of security, domestic life, real estate. conditions at the end of life.

Fifth House: Children, creativity, romance; pleasure, entertainment, self-expression; all forms of “play”, speculation, gambling, and attitude towards taking risks; hobbies, attitude towards romance, lovers as opposed to partners, attitude towards having fun.

Sixth House: Work and job (as opposed to career), daily life, attitude towards service and coworkers, helpfulness, pets, attitude towards routine and organization, how you refine and perfect your skills.

Seventh House: Partnerships, one-to-one relationships, marriage, the first marriage, the “significant other”, business partnerships, competitors, open enemies, lawyers, mediators, counselors, contracts, negotiations, agreements. clients/the public.

Eighth House: Transformations and crisis, your ability to meet and rebound from crisis and change, sexuality; sex, death and rebirth, rituals and personal growth, your partner’s resources, addictions, psychology, other people’s money, taxes, divorce/alimony, inheritance.

Ninth House: Attitude toward expanding horizons, religious beliefs and personal philosophy, higher education, long-distance travel, morals, foreign languages and cultures, personal truths, publishing, commerce, advertising, your sense of adventure.

Tenth House: Career and profession, your contribution to society, social status, public reputation, material success, how you carve out a public identity for yourself; attitude toward authority figures, parents, caregivers, bosses, governments, attitude towards responsibility, desire for achievement.

Eleventh House: Friends, groups, organizations; hopes, wishes, aspirations, personal goals; your philanthropic attitude, concern for the collective, humanity; like tenth, can bring recognition and honors for fulfilling hopes and dreams.

Twelfth House: What’s hidden beneath the surface, karmic dustbin, limiting childhood/past-life messages, self-undoing, hidden enemies, hidden weaknesses, dreams, secret affairs, lost items, hospitals and prisons, hidden strengths, spiritual studies and soul growth.

A  Sun: Our vitality and magnetism; self-identity, ego.
Roles: The Self, the Hero, the Performer, the King.

B  Moon: Intuition, emotion, nurture.
Roles: The Mother, the High Priestess, the Child.

C  Mercury: Mind; physical dexterity and mental agility.
Roles: The Thinker, the Communicator, the Student, the Trickster, the Merchant, the Thief.

D  Venus: Our capacity for pleasure, receptivity, creativity, and social connection. Also indicates our relationships, self esteem, and financial abundance.
Roles: The Lover, the Seductress, the Artist.

E  Mars: Desire, initiative, anger.
Roles: The Protector, the Athlete, the Warrior.

F  Jupiter: Luck, opportunity, expansion, higher learning, religion.
Roles: The Scholar, the Gypsy, the Traveler, the Monk, the Professor.

G  Saturn: Hard work, commitment, focus, inadequacy, leadership, suffering, loss.
Roles: The Task Master, the Grim Reaper, the Wise Old Man, the Builder, the Cynic, the Boss.

H  Uranus: Change, breakthroughs, upsets, discoveries.
Roles: The Revolutionary, the Humanitarian, the Visionary, the Snob.

I  Neptune: Imagination, spirituality, idealism, addictions, deception, compassion.
Roles: The Artist, the Romantic, the Guru, the Addict, the Martyr, the Victim.

J  Pluto: Transformation, power, psychological dynamics, helplessness.
Roles: The Terrorist, the Detective, the Psychotherapist, the Dictator, shady people.

a  Aries: Pioneering, competitive, selfish, impatient, courageous, reckless, independent, dynamic, domineering, “Me first!”

b  Taurus: Patient, stable, lazy, dependable, practical, sensual, stubborn, artistic, possessive, greedy, gentle, loyal.

c  Gemini: Intelligent, curious, adaptable, quick-witted, restless, clever, scatterbrained, lacking follow-through.

d  Cancer: Nourishing, intuitive, protective, moody, sensitive, maternal, domestic, childish, cautious, creative.

e  Leo: Proud, dignified, vain, expressive, romantic, generous, childish, overbearing, self-assured, creative.

f  Virgo: Perfection-seeking, practical, methodical, petty, critical, studious, discriminating, cautious, never satisfied.

g  Libra: Charming, sociable, peace-loving, refined, diplomatic, artistic, indecisive, apathetic, easily deterred.

h  Scorpio: Passionate, secretive, penetrating, resourceful, suspicious, manipulative, jealous, sarcastic, intolerant, determined, aware.

i  Sagittarius: Freedom-loving, philosophical, optimistic, enthusiastic, careless, impatient, talkative, a know-it-all, broadminded, athletic, honest.

j  Capricorn: Serious, responsible, practical, hardworking, stubborn, brooding, inhibited, status-conscious, domineering, unforgiving.

k  Aquarius: Progressive, individualistic, unpredictable, cold, intellectual, artistic, eccentric, shy, impersonal, scientific.

l  Pisces: Compassionate, intuitive, ungrounded, romantic, impractical, self-sacrificing, seductive, musical, artistic.